Burial casket



July 3, 1934.I 0E. v. LUDWIG 'BURIAL GASKET Filed Sept. .30. 1931 4Sheets-Sheet l y gwuembz 33nd,@ @Mme/1g l July 3, 1934. E. v. LUDWIG1,965,385

BURIAL GASKET Filed Sept. 30. 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 E. V. LUDWIG July 3,l1934.

BURIAL GASKET Filed Sept. 50. 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 mimnl Juy 3, 1934.

E. v. LUDWIG BURIAL GASKET 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 50, 1931Snom/woz fa/V man@ di auf @2x3 @Mime/1j Patented July 3, 1.934

. UNITED STATES BURIAL GASKET Edgar Valentine Ludwig, Buffalo, N. Y.,assigner to American Radiator Company, New York, N. Y.,fa corporation ofNew Jersey Application September, 1931, Serial No. 566,010l

l Claims.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in burial caskets,and more particu larly of that type constructed of metal.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an improved casketreceptacle which shall be cast as an integral body from a suitable metalor alloy, and thus be free from joints or seams.

A further object is to provide an improved casket rceptacle having acomparatively thin l0" wall thickness or metal line so as to produce areceptacle which will be of a practicable weight but which at the sametime will have suiicent strength to withstand handling andtransportation.

A further object is to provide a cast metal casket comprising aone-piece receptacle, and a cover or closure with a novel sealing jointbetween the same, which when closed will effectually seal the receptacleagainst the ingress of moisture or other objectionable elements.

A further object is to provide a novel handle construction embodyingmeans for securing the same to the casket receptacle in such manner thatthe metal wall will be relieved of deleterious 25.- effects of strainwhen the casket is lifted, and which will be closed against ingress ofmoisture and other deleterious elements.

The invention consists in the improved construction. and combination ofparts, to be more fully described hereinafter, and the novelty of whichwill be particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

I have fully and clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawingsforming part of this speciiication, a preferred embodiment of myinvention,

and in which- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of an embodiment ofthe invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the embodiment shown 4Gv in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the one-piece receptacle with the coverremoved, certain parts being shown. in: dotted lines;

Fig. 4- is a view, partly in side elevation and partly rin longitudinalcentral section, taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section View on the line 5-5'of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on the line 6 6 of- Fig.l and showing my improved joint construction for connectingl and sealingthe receptacle and lid toeach other;

Fig. '7 is a front elevation of a handle plate forming a part of myinvention;

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the handle plate shown in Fig. '7;

Fig. 9 is a view in end elevation ofV the plate shown in Figs. 7= and 8,with parts broken away and partly in section, but showing the handlelevers assembled thereon and a portion of thef side wall` of thereceptacle in section, and

Fig. l0 is a view similar to Fig. 9 showing a modiiied form of thebracing and strain resisting webs and the handle construction.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, l designatesgenerally a one-piece, cast metal receptacle of dimensions suitable forthe purposes for which the same is intended. This receptacle in itspreferred form comprises a bottom wall 2 and an upstanding, surrounding,enclosing wall, preferably including substantially vertical end walls 3,3 and vertical side walls 4, 4, the end and side walls being atsubstantial right angles to each other, but the points of connection atthe corners being preferably rounded, as indicated in Fig. 3. The bottomwall at its surrounding edge portions is carried upward around its endsand along its longitudinal edges to form a surrounding groove 5, whichis inset a short distance from the extreme edge of said Wall, and theextreme edge of the bottom wall is connected to the side and end wallsby an outwardly curved portion 6. The groove 5 and the extreme marginalportion of the bottom wall, together with the curved-portion 6constitutes a convenient hand hold by which the receptacler may belifted, if desired, it being noted that the marginal portion of thebottom wall vis located in a plane above the main portion of the bottomwall so that the receptacle may be conveniently grasped when the bottomwall rests on a flat surface.

At the upper portion of the side and end walls and cast integraltherewith, is an outwardly directed, curved portion 'l extendingpreferably entirely around the periphery of the receptacle, and at theupper portion of said curved portion 7 isan inwardly directed flange 8which is also cast integral with the body ofthe receptacle. This flangeextends inward a distance such that the inner edge of the flangeprojects inwardly beyond the inner faces of the end and side walls, asshown in Figs. 4 and 5. rIv'he upper face of the liangev 8 is preferablyflat, as indicated at 9, to form a contact sealing surface in connectionwith my improved cover o1' lid joint, which will be describedhereinafter.

On the inner faces of the side walls at suit able points thereon, areinwardly projecting, hollow bosses 10, which are preferably circular incross-section to facilitate casting, each of these bosses,-at its innerend, being closed by a metal wall l1, and the interiors thereof openingoutward through the enclosing wall of the receptacle, and beinginternally threaded, as at 10a, for a purpose to be presently described.

In order to brace and stifen the side walls of the receptacle, saidwalls are formed on their inner surfaces with inwardly directed,vertical ribs or webs 12, said webs being cast integral with the sidewall and preferably integral with the bosses 10, heretofore described,so as to brace the latter and the adjacent parts of the wall, as will bepointed out hereinafter. These ribs or webs 12 preferably extend from apoint adjacent the lower edge of the side wall to a4 point adjacent theupper horizontal edge thereof.

The inwardly, overhanging flange 8 is braced. by vertical webs 13 castintegral with theunderface thereof and with the outwardly curved portion7, these webs preferably alining with or forming continuations of thewebs heretofore described, although it will be understood that they maybe located wherever desired respecting said flange.

The receptacle and the parts thereof so far described, are east fromasuitablemetalV or.' alloy of suitable metals in a one-piece, integralstructure, so as to be devoid of seams or joints likely to permitleakage of moisture into the receptacle. The bottom and side Walls,together with the. other parts so far described, are preferably cast ofa thickness approximating` gig of an inch, so as to reduce the weight toa minimum, but it will be understood that the dimension given is merelyby way of example, and that I do not limit myself thereto.

At their lower portions each of the webs 12 is provided with an inwardlyprojecting boss 14 cast integral with the web, and which may be tappedwith screw threads to receive a screw for the purpose of holding inplace trimming supporting means, preferably a strip 15 of wood, to whichthe interior cloth trimming (not shown) of the receptacle may beattached, and the ribs or webs 13 are each formed with a recess 16 toreceive a similar strip 17 for securing trimming along the uppersurrounding edge of the receptacle, said webs 13 each having a tappedboss 13 at the base of the recesses, the strip 17 being secured in placeby a screw 13b threaded into the boss.

I will now describe the novel handle construction and securing meanstherefor constituting my invention: 18 designates a handle plate orescutcheon provided on its rear face with a surrounding flange 19adapted to abut the outer face of the side wall of the casket, so thatlthe plate is formed with a recess 20 between the main portion thereofand the receptacle wall, and formed integral with the rear face of theplate are inwardly directed, spaced bosses 21 which are horizontallyspaced a distance substantially equal to the horizontal distance betweenthe bosses 10, said bosses 21 on the handle plate beinginternally boredto aline with the threaded sockets in the bosses l0 and being adapted toreceive headed fastening screws 22 which project through the same andinto the bosses 10, whereby the handle plate will be securely clampedagainsty the side wall of the casket receptacle. It will be noted thatby this arrangement the handle plate is held in place by a joint orfastening which precludes any leakage into the receptacle at the pointwhere the handle plate is secured.

The outer face of the handle plate isy formed with pairs of spaced earsor lugs 23, and between each pair is located a handle lever 24 pivotallyconnected to the ears by a cross-pin 25. The lower ends of the leversare provided with alining openings 26 to receive a handle or lifting bar27, and the upper end of each lever adjacent the pivot pin is providedwith a stop-lug 28, which when the handle bar is lifted and the leversare swung upwardly on their pivots, will eventually contact a stop-faceor pad 29 on the base ofthe handle plate to provide for a rigid handleconnection when the casket is being lifted by the handles. It will benoted that the bosses 10 are braced and stiffened by the webs 12 so thatsaid bosses and adjacent parts of the side walls of the receptacle arereinforced against strains exerted on the bosses when the receptacle islifted by the handles. This arrangement is of advantage. because thecomparatively thin side wall is prevented effectually from cracking orbreaking, and may be made of less thickness. than might be practicableif such reinforcement were not used.

30 designates the cover or lid for the receptacle, which is alsopreferably, although not necessarily, made of cast metal. In itspreferred form this cover is dome-shaped, both transversely andlongitudinally, the lower edges of said domed portion terminating andmerging in a substantially horizontal, surrounding portion in the formof a flange 31, which when the lid is in place on the receptacle lies ina plane over and substantially parallel to the upper face 9 of thereceptacle flange 8, as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The outer edgeof the flange portion 3l merges into a downwardly directed surroundingflange 32 of such dimension as to extend laterally beyond and at itsedge project below the upper edge of the receptacle side wall. On itsinner face and preferably at the point where the lower edge of the domeportion merges with flange 31, the cover is provided with a downwardlyprojecting bead or rib 32a, preferably extending entirely around thecover, thus forming an angular recess 33 between the outer face of saidrib and the underface of the flange 31. In the recess 33 is secured acompressible packing, preferably a ductile metal tube 34, such as softlead, this tube being of such circumference that when seated in therecess and secured therein the lower portion of the tube will projectbelow the lower end of the rib 32a and rest upon the sealing face 9 onthe flange 8. The tube 34 may be held in place in any suitable way, butI prefer to cement it to the cover, as indicated at 35, for example bythe form of cement commonly known in the founding art as iron cement.When the lid is assembled on the casket receptacle, the sealing tube 34contacts the surface 9 and supports the flange 31 on the lid spaced adistance from the surface 9. The lid is then secured in place by headedclamping bolts 36 let through apertures 37' in the flange 31 andthreaded into bosses 38 located beneath the receptacle flange 1 8 andcast integral therewith, said bolts when screwed into place moving thecover flange toward the receptacle flange and compressing the sealingmember against the surface 9. When the bolts 36j are screwed tightlyinto place, the sealing tube will be flexed or compressed so that itsentire lower portion will contact and conform to the flat, upper surface9 of the flange 3 and thus provide an efficient, moisture-tight sealwhich will b e substantially permanent between the cover and thereceptacle. It will be noted that the apertures 37 and the bosses 33 arelocated laterally of the receptacle outside of the seal formed by themember 34, so that there is no danger of leakage past the bolts 36 intothe receptacle.

In the modification shown in Fig. 10, the vertical bracing andstrengthening webs l2a corresponding to the webs 12 heretoforedescribed, are shown as extending from the bottom wall of the receptacleacross the entire side wall, and the ends of the webs are respectivelycast integral with the underface of the fiange 8 and with the upper faceof the bottom wall, the longitudinal portion of the web being castintegral with the side wall, including the curved portions 6 and '7. Inthis form the webs are shown each having cast integral therewith aninwardly projecting boss 10b corresponding to the boss 10 heretoforedescribed, this boss having an internally threaded socket 10c openingoutwardly through the side wall. Above each of the bosses 10b and castintegral with the web, is a boss 10d having a socket 10e openingoutwardly through the side wall. In this form the handle plate is formedwith spacing bosses 21ab corresponding to the bosses 21 heretoforedescribed, and bored to receive fastening screws 22a to be threaded intothe boss 10b, and integral with the rear face of the handle plate andabove the bosses 21a are pins 39 adapted to project into sockets 10. Bythe arrangement just described, the pins 39 and bosses ld serve todistribute the lifting strain of the handles on the side wall andrelieve the screws 22a of a portion of the strain.

It will be seen that in both forms of handle construction, as shown inFigs. 9 and 10, the bosses 21, 21a respectively are so located on thepad or plate 18 as to be behind the Vspace between the ears 23, so thatthe heads of the screws 22, 22a are located behind the handle levers 24and concealed thereby from view in all normal positions of operation ofsaid levers. In assembling the handle, the plate is first secured inplace by the screws, and the levers 24 are then placed between the earsand secured by the insertion of the pivot pins 25 through the ears andlevers. In both forms, the plate 18 is relieved or recessed, as at 40,beneath the handle levers, so that the levers will enter said recesses,and thus permit the handle bar 2'7 when in lowered position to hangclose to the receptacle and thereby reduce the transverse overalldimension of the receptacle and handles to a minimum.

The surface of the receptacle and the cover may be covered or coatedwith any suitable protective or decorative covering, such, for example,as a coating of enamel, such as vitreous enamel, applied by any of thewell known methods.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesis:

1. A burial casket comprising a cast metal receptacle formed as aunitary structure and in cluding a bottom wall and an upstandingsurrounding enclosing wall, said enclosing wall hav ing at its upperedge portion an inwardly direct-I ed flange integral therewith, saidflange being coextensive with said edge portion and having a flat uppersurface throughout its length, a cover for the receptacle having asurrounding portion overlying said surface, a continuous sealing memberof compressible ductile metal carried by said surrounding portion andprojecting beneath the lower face of the same to contact with saidsurface; and means for securing the cover to the flange and operable tocompress the sealing member between said portion and said at uppersurface.

2. A burial casket comprising a cast metal receptacle formed as aunitary structure and including a bottom wall and an upstandingsurrounding enclosing wall, said enclosing wall having at its upper'edge portion an inwardly directed ange integral therewith, said flangebeing coextensive with said edge portion and having a flat upper surfacethroughout its length, a cover for the receptacle having a surroundingportion overlying said surface, a continuous compressible sealing memberconsisting of a ductile metal tube carried by said surrounding portionand projecting beneath the lower face of the same to contact said flatupper surface, and means for securing the cover to the flange andoperable to compress the sealing member between said cover portion andsaid flat upper surface.

3. A burial casket comprising a cast metal receptacle formed as aunitary structure and including a bottom wall and an upstandingsurrounding enclosing wall, said enclosing wall having at its upper edgeportion an inwardly directed flange integral therewith, said flangebeing coextensive with said edge portion and having a flat upper surfacethroughout its length, a cover for the receptacle having a surroundingflange overlying said surface and having a continuous bead extendingdownwardly from the underface of said surrounding flange, a continuouscompressible sealing member of ductile metal seated against said beadand the underface of said surrounding flange and projecting beneath thelower face of said bead to contact with said at upper surface, and meansfor securing the cover to the first-named flange and operable tocompress the sealing member between said surrounding ange and said fiatupper surface.

4. A burial casket comprising a cast metal receptacle formed as aunitary structure and including a bottom wall and a surroundingenclosing wall, said enclosing wall having at its upper edge portion aninwardly directed ange integral therewith, and stiifening webs integralwith the underface of the flange and the inner face of the enclosingwall.

5. A burial casket comprising a cast metal receptacle formed as aunitary structure and including a bottom wall and a surroundingenclosing wall, said enclosing wall having at its upper 120. edge anoutwardly directed portion and an inwardly directed iiange integral withthe outwardly directed portion, and stiifening webs integral with theunderface of said flange and the inner face of the said outwardlydirected portion of the side wall.

6. A burial casket comprising a cast metal receptacle formed as aunitary structure and including a bottom wall and a surroundingenclosing wall, said enclosing wall having vertically disposedstiffening webs integral therewith and projecting from the inner facethereof, and bosses integral with said webs and adaptedto receivefastening means for securing interior trimming to said enclosing wall.

'7. A burial casket comprising a cast metal receptacle formed as aunitary structure and including a bottom wall and a surroundingenclosing wall, said enclosing wall having at its upper edge portion aninwardly directed flange cast integral therewith, said flange beingcoeXtensive with said edge portion, stiffening webs integral with saidange and said side walls and bracing said ange, and stiffening websintegral with the inner face of said enclosing wall.

EDGAR VALENTINE LUDWIG.

